Corruption-charged Senator Bob Menendez announces he won’t run again

Bob Menendez, the New Jersey Democratic Senator being accused of accepting lavish bribes in exchange for political favours, announced he will not seek re-election.

In anine-minute-long video posted on Thursday, Mr Menendez said he would not run again due to the accusations he faces related to a years-long bribery scheme. However, he did not rule out the possibility of running as an independent candidate after his federal trial.

“Unfortunately the present accusations I am facing, of which I am innocent, and will prove so will not allow me to have that type of dialogue and debate with political opponents that have already made it the cornerstone of their campaign. New Jerseyans deserve better than that,” Mr Menendez said.

He later said: “I am hopeful that my exoneration will take place this summer and allow me to pursue my candidacy as an independent Democrat in the general election.”

The announcement comes just days ahead of the deadline for primary candidates to file for their candidacy.

In the video, Mr Menendez spent a considerable amount of time listing his accomplishments since he was elected to represent the Garden State in 2006.

Bob Menendez announces he is not running for Senate again

Mr Menendez was indicted in September on charges related to an alleged bribery scheme alongside his wife Nadine Menendez and two New Jersey businessmen.

Mr and Ms Menendez are accused of accepting hundreds of thousands worth of bribes in the form of cash, gold bars, jewelry and a Mercedez-Benz convertible in exchange for political favours that benefitted the governments of Egypt and Qatar.

Prosecutors brought a superseding indictment against Mr Menendez in March for allegedly trying to cover up the bribes as “loans.”

Mr Menendez is